Chapter 6: Collaboration, Communication and Community: Transitioning from a Traditional Model

Since it was founded as a State Normal School in 1891, Central Washington University (CWU) has trained Washington’s teachers. CWU has some of the largest teacher education programs in the state, graduating up to 40 mathematics and science teachers annually in the last five years. Despite these successes, enrollments in STEM teacher education programs at CWU have declined, consistent with state-and nation-wide trends. These patterns and a related funding opportunity prompted us to pursue UTeach implementation over 2016–2019. Implementing the UTeach model in a new state in the context of a large, established STEM teacher education program created a unique array of opportunities and challenges. This chapter details our implementation process from receiving grant funding through when our first cohort of students graduated. We then report enrollment trends from pre- and post-UTeach student cohorts. Finally, we present key lessons learned that are likely to inform universities with similar institutional contexts, such as large or established STEM education programs, short program implementation timelines, and high field hour and assessment requirements.